LDNGuide

The 25 Best Brunches In London

Trying to figure out where the eggs, sourdough, and french toast are? Here are the best brunches in London.
The 25 Best Brunches In London image

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

You’re rising from your slumber on a Saturday morning. You may or may not be hungover. You’re craving… something… something… with eggs and potato and meat but also rocket, and maybe some chilli and lemon, also chocolate. Coffee, a coffee. And a freshly pressed juice. You need brunch.

There are a lot of brunch options to choose from in London so we’ve written this guide, split by areas, to help you find the perfect spot. If you’re an early riser and looking for a straight-up breakfast guide, we’ve got one of those too.


Central

photo credit: Christopher's

American

Covent Garden

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Christopher’s serves the best french toast in London. There, we said it. Thick brioche with a soft gooey centre, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and melted chocolate—this is the reason you come here. But that’s not all this two-floor American restaurant in Covent Garden has to offer. It’s got high ceilings, round tables with white tablecloths, and a menu filled with things like lobster mac and cheese, wagyu burgers (which is definitely an acceptable brunch), and a Texas grill complete with sausages and hash browns.

The theme at this charming Victoria bakery is ‘international baking’, which means you’ll find a selection of bagels, monkey bread, focaccia, ka’ak, and more. There are also inventive pastries like a za’atar and gruyère croissant, which can be hit and miss depending on how soon you catch them after they’re baked. But the most important thing about this place is the excellent clay oven-baked flatbreads. Topped with delicious combinations like merguez and garlic aioli, or burrata and honey, these breads are what make this spot worth going out of your way for.

Starting your day with peanut butter and banana-heavy french toast just because you can is what life is all about. That decision will lead you to places like Popina. This little Mayfair spot has scrambled eggs and all the other usual culprits on the menu, but there are some exciting alternatives that you should get involved in, like their house special ranchos with lime guacamole, green shakshuka, and raclette cheese melt. The french toast section—yes, a whole section—includes Nutella and strawberries, as well as savoury options like goat’s cheese and bacon. 

Breakfast at The Wolseley is an occasion. Between the soaring ceilings (the St James’s spot used to be an old classic car showroom) and shiny tableware, it might all be a bit much to take in if you’re still feeling a bit bleary. But the food is excellent and everything from the pastries to the classic omelette Arnold Bennett (eggs with smoked haddock) is worth the price. Save it for a celebration, a big-time breakfast with a potential client, or when your mum’s visiting.


North

If you can’t deal with sunlight just yet, Corrochio’s is the spot for you. The basement of this moody cocina in Stoke Newington has the smoky feel of a saloon, with enough crucifixes for you to become concerned that you’ve stepped inside the headquarters of a cult. One with exceptional catering. The dish to get is the chilaquiles. The corn tortilla chips soak up moreish salsa verde and come topped with tender shredded chicken, gooey cheese, rings of crunchy red onion, and a perfectly fried egg. Hot sauce is optional but encouraged.

When you commit to brunch at Dobar, you commit to waiting in a queue. Whether that’s 10 minutes or half an hour really depends on how early you get there, just know that there is always a wait at this walk-in-only cafe. But it’s absolutely worth it for the XXL brunches at this Green Lanes spot. Whether it’s the hearty full English that arrives in a skillet pan, or the fluffy french toast covered in Nutella and fruit, this is the right way to start a Saturday. Or any day for that matter.

When you have a hangover or just want a nice breakfast near Angel, you go to Kipferl. It’s a cosy Austrian coffeehouse that predictably gets jammed at the weekend, so the earlier you can get there, the better. They’ll give you a comforting breakfast to soothe your pounding head, and they also have some excellent cakes if you just want a snack. One of the best things on the menu is the bauernfrühstück (a traditional stir-fry of potatoes, onion, and eggs), so order with confidence.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

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With Sunday, an all-day cafe in Islington, the clue is in the name. It’s the place to go for excellent, fluffy brioche french toast when you can’t be bothered to cook, want to wash away any apprehension about the impending week with smooth, frothy lattes, and have one last sleepy hurrah—courtesy of a moreish courgette fritter—before Monday hits. We’ve been solo, and nursed a plate of scrambled eggs with a friend—just choose someone you can trust to share the half portion of pancakes you ordered for the table. It’s always a good time and the food doesn’t disappoint. 

If you’re a Stokey resident and you haven’t been to Esters, then we’re about to change your life. If you’re from anywhere else, the same applies. Esters is a little cafe with a menu that changes daily, but is always very creative and very good. Think french toast with whipped ricotta and cranberries, or poached eggs with charred cabbage, chorizo, and pistachios on toast. This is not your average brunch. It’s a no-booking, no-way-to-avoid-the-queue thing, but get there bright and early and you’ll be fine.


East

Bake Street makes brunch for people who wake up craving dinner. From the moment they open on Tuesday morning to their final crème brûlée cookie sold on Sunday afternoon, you’ll overhear Birkenstock-clad regulars deciding between which special to get, and change your mind five times as you get closer to the till. Let us help you out. Firstly come for the weekend-only specials. Secondly, do not, under any circumstances, leave without getting the smashburger or the Nashville hot chicken bun.

First and foremost Ozone is a coffee shop. But limiting it to just that feels like a serious understatement. Ozone Coffee and Food Emporium would feel more accurate. Located in a big old space on Leonard Street, Ozone is an excellent brunch choice if you’re around Old Street or Shoreditch. The menu is massive but in a very good way. It ranges from pancakes with apple and butterscotch to smoked haddock kedgeree with a poached egg. It’s pretty popular on the weekends and with harried-looking commuters on weekday mornings, so it’s all about timing.

You know the usual brunch spots—the tables are packed together, it’s loud, and the waiter will probably forget at least one of the things you ordered. The Spitalfields location of Ottolenghi, our favourite of the Middle Eastern outposts around town, is the opposite of that. It’s a calming, minimal place to grab something in the morning, and all of the food is great. The shakshuka is legendary and you should also get the sweetcorn and polenta cakes with a poached egg. You’ll also want to book ahead.

Morito’s location on Hackney Road makes it feel like a neighbourhood spot, but once you’re inside, it’s immediately clear that it’s the kind of place that would murder the competition anywhere it opened. It’s always busy because the food is top-to-bottom fantastic. You’ll find a Mediterranean/North African twist on brunch, and it’s a good way to break the habit of standard avocado toast spots. The poached eggs with spinach and chilli butter is a must-order and if it’s on, the bougatsa—a Cretan filo pastry with fresh cheese, sugar, and cinnamon—is very good as well.

photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch

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On the surface, a US-style diner in Dalston might sound like an awful concept dreamed up by someone with a trust fund and nobody who will tell them the truth. But Hash E8 actually makes very tasty food that also happens to be perfect for smashing after a heavy night. True to the diner theme, you’ll find filter coffee and classics like french toast, pancakes, and a chorizo and sweet potato hash that will cure what ails you. 


South

Tashas is an all-day cafe, but this Battersea spot really thrives between 8:30am and 2pm when it serves breakfast. There’s a mix of proper hits like a sweetcorn scramble that’ll make you feel good about yourself, to creamy mushroom rigatoni that’s so satisfying it feels like a cheeky dinner dish hiding on a brunch menu. And if you’re a late riser, the spicy steak prego works just as well for brunch and is served all day. Inside, it looks like a Pinterest board called Beige Minimalist Chic come to life and everyone looks good next to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

A small Lebanese bakery slap bang in the middle of Fulham Road, Ta'mini makes excellent pastries. Their counter is full of freshly baked fatayer (a bready pastry with anything from minced meat to a tangy sumac-heavy spinach filling), and the menu of all-day manakish is perfect for a satisfying brunch. The bakery is bright and compact, with a small group table inside and a couple of tables out front.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

$$$$Perfect For:BrunchHalal

In an area filled with excellent brunch options, this North African cafe on Balham High Road is the one that will have you searching for flats in SW12. A cosy spot that’s often packed on the weekend, this is the place to come for an excellent halal full English. Just about everything on the menu that includes the roasted seasoned potatoes is a winner, but stick with the full English—it comes with plenty of those little fried bites. With grilled mushrooms, beans, a halal beef sausage, halal turkey bacon, and scrambled eggs, you won’t need another meal for a while.

Juliet’s is the kind of exceptional brunch spot that makes us desperate for a condiment WikiLeaks just so we can find out exactly what’s in their 10/10 hangover sauce. It’s on a busy stretch in Tooting, and you can expect big, balanced flavours, top-quality produce, and a sensational pork patty bun that is basically the breakfast butty in its ultimate form. The space is casual and bright, and it’s perfect for a coffee date, a low-key catch-up, or just soothing a biblical hangover over one of the best omelettes London has to offer.

Milk is among the best spots for food in Balham full stop, as well as for brunch. There will be a queue at weekends, though staff will bring coffee while you wait and it’s a very nice place to sit outside and people-watch when it’s warm. Everything’s made with the same attention to detail that most restaurants reserve for fancy dinners—the banana pancakes with maple and pecan are killer, and even the sourdough with goat’s cheese and honey is something special.

Sometimes the brunches of London all merge into one big foggy memory of fried eggs. So if you’re tired of menus that appear to be holding a social experiment called How Many Ways Can You Smash An Avocado, head to The Apple Blue. This charming little Balham spot is home to dutch babies. They’re essentially an XXL vehicle for fried chicken that is part pancake and part yorkshire pudding. We promise this maple syrup-topped carb-fest will help you avoid any brunch deja vu. The iced Korean coffee is also a real winner.


West

Akub is a charming Palestinian restaurant where brunch is the most important meal of the day. Mornings at the Notting Hill spot are wholesome, as the three floors of stone-clad walls and olive trees transport you to a courtyard in the Mediterranean. Brunch here is all about getting a spread: creamy labaneh sprinkled with aromatic za’atar, qalayet bandora (eggs in a rich, slow-cooked tomato sauce), and nutty cauliflower fritters with a tangy coriander tahini. Get the bread basket, and start dipping and scooping until all the plates are clean, or you’re too full for another bite of fava bean foul.

We always say we’ll stop standing in queues for things that involve eggs, but when we find somewhere like Tab x Tab, we’ll happily swallow our words. This Notting Hill spot has got some exciting brunch dishes. Halloumi sandos with the perfect balance of gooey centre to crispy edges, chicken thigh burgers that are tender and slightly spicy, and silky smooth oat milk lattes. The food is excellent and that pesky queue moves surprisingly fast. On a sunny day the tables out front are the place to be. Although if you’re after a solo morning, the window stools are ideal for sitting with a book.

The phrase “this is nice, isn’t it?” is guaranteed to be said by at least one member of your brunch group if you head to Beam on Westbourne Grove. Maybe they’re referring to the hanging lights or the exposed brick. Maybe it’s the spaciousness of it all. Or maybe it’s the brunch menu that includes shakshuka, a halal full English, and Nutella-filled doughnuts. We’ll tell you—it’s all of the above. This spot is walk-in only and open until 6pm every day, which is helpful if you only manage to get out of bed at 3:30pm.

photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli

If you’ve ever had manakeesh, you’ll understand how important it is that this Lebanese bakery serves them until 10pm. And they’re not any old manakeesh, they’re the best in London. The brunch at this Acton spot isn’t limited by time and you aren’t judged for rocking up at 4pm in need of some doughy, meaty goodness. You can head there at 1pm on a Sunday for a platter of minced meat and cheese, or spinach and cheese manakeesh, and it’ll be just as good as when you come at 7pm on a Wednesday. Time is just a construct when it comes to brunch anyway.

Milk Beach will convince you that you're in a cool part of Australia—Manly Beach, say, on a warm day, with the sea winking at you in the distance—rather than down a cobbled street in Queen’s Park. First sips of blonde, frothy lattes lead to ordering plump, flaky croissants the same shade as the rattan light fixture bathing you in a fake golden hour glow. The food is excellent. We could go on about the strands of soft ham hock or the banana bread with espresso cream. But really you should just go and try it for yourself.

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